"Inventing" Your Own Writing Technology

     One of the important themes/assumptions of this class is there is a significant relationship

     between the technology we use to write and what it is we write. This is sometimes tricky for

     us to think about nowadays since the basic technologies of writing-- pencils, pens, paper,

     computers, etc.-- have become so transparent. The goal of this project is to attempt to make

     this aspect of writing, what is usually invisible to us, visible.

     This short project has two parts. First, write a 20 or so word "text" of any type and on any

     subject, using only writing tools and technologies invented by you, found in nature, around the

     house, etc. Second, write a brief (three or so pages) word-processed essay that explains how

     you created the first part of this project and what the first part of the writing project exposed

     (or didn't) for you about the relationship between the technological tools you use to write and

     what sort of text you end up producing.

Here are some things to think about:

For the first part of this project, you cannot use any of the modern conveniences of writing for any part of the process whatsoever.

This includes any sort of purchased paper, inks, pens, pencils, crayons, typewriters, chalk, paints, brushes, or electronic devices.  You also shouldn't use materials you find around the house that are more or less obvious extensions of common writing technologies. For example, I would encourage you to not to complete your project with writing materials like paint, nail polish, white out, etc. This also means that you cannot use any of these technologies during any of the steps in your writing process. In other words, while I have no way to really to enforce this, it seems to me that it would more or less be "cheating" to write out a

draft of your 20 or so words and then use the "natural" and/or "created" materials to write the final draft of the project. However, you are certainly allowed to make your own writing utensils and materials (it is surprisingly easy to make both simple papers and inks out of "natural" materials, for example).

All projects must involve the most basic technology of writing, an alphabet. More specifically, you need to write your project English (as opposed to some other language or form of representation like pictographs.)

These projects will be considered with these basic criteria in mind: the extent to which the materials you use adhere to the rule of being found in nature, around the house, and/or created by you; portability; permanence; the success of the text you produce; and the overall creativity. "Permanence" simply refers to how long the text you will create can be expected to last and "portability" refers to how practically mobile your project is. Assuming that we will have time in class and on line to do so, I am hoping that the measure of the "success of the text" and the "overall creativity" can be decided collectively.

The most difficult criterion to define is the first one, materials found in nature, around the house, and/or created by you. These are problematic terms. For example, if you decide to etch your words in a clay slab with a stick, one could say that you have indeed used "natural" materials. But it seems to me that, unless you actually went and dug up the clay yourself, ultimately you are using a technology as "(un)natural" as any other store bought product. Obviously, I don't have an easy answer for dealing with this

problem. I would only encourage you to use materials as creatively as you can in the spirit of the assignment, which is to explore the relationship between technology and writing in a very literal way, and to ponder this problematic issue as part of your brief word-processed reflection on this process.

I should also point out that there may be some sort of balance between these different criteria. For example, a particularly creative and "natural" project might not be all that permanent, and vice-versa.

The project that you create does not necessarily have to be physically turned in and/or brought to class. I can imagine lots of examples done outside or around your home that would be quite effective but impossible to bring to school. However, if you are not able to physically present your project to me and your colleagues, please hand in a photograph of the completed assignment.

Do not use or create writing utensils or materials that have serious potential for being dangerously flammable, poisonous, toxic, unsafe, or unpleasant (e.g., a variety of bodily fluids). Also, do not create writing projects that cause some sort of permanent damage to property. This is supposed to be a fun writing experiment, not a hazardous one.

Be mindful of the fact that this is a SHORT writing project in this class. Spend your time accordingly and be realistic about your project goals. Remember that the reason we're doing this is to consciously explore the technologies and materials we use to create texts; the goal is not to make great artistic masterpieces or to work yourself to death. It might be pretty cool to chisel your text into a piece of marble, but it seems to me the cost of the materials and the time it would take to "write" the text are too much for this project. Further, you should spend at least as much time (if not more) writing your brief explanation of how you went about creating your writing project as you spend creating the 20 or so word writing project itself.